The present disclosure is related to network devices and, more particularly, to resource servers and their methods of operation for continued management of network resources.
When managing resources of a network, a resource server such as a Resource Pool Manager Server (RPMS) may count, control and otherwise manage allocations of the network resources. Such a resource server may establish how the Internet or other network resources may be shared, distributed and allocated to different users that may call into different telephone companies or Internet Service Providers (ISPs). The telephone companies and Internet or other network service providers may be referenced as customers of a wholesale Internet or other network provider.
Integrated with the network, the resource server may collect information regarding different customers and their use of the network resources, e.g., across one or more network access servers (NAS). By tracking the customer usage within the network, the resource server may effectively administer the delivery of network services to the customers. Such services may include Virtual Private Dial-Up Network (VPDN) services and/or retail dial network services.
Referencing a conventional network 100 of FIG. 1, resource server 104 may be configured with a variety of customer profiles to assist customer differentiation. An incoming call of a user 110-A may reach a network access server 106. The resource server may then associate the call, in accordance with the incoming call-in number, with a customer profile of resource server 104. The resource server may then determine whether the network access server 106 should answer or reject the incoming call. If the call is to be answered, the resource server may also establish parameters for handling of the call. For example, the user profile may trigger an assignment of the call to particular resources of a group (e.g., tunnel(s)) as may have been previously established by the resource manager.
Each configured customer profile, which may be stored within resource server 104, may include information of the number of resources actively in use by a contract customer. The customer profile may also include information, e.g., such as an upper number of sessions or ports 108 that may be initiated by a given customer. In operation, the resource server may increment and decrement the session counter for given customers as each session begins or concludes for the customers. Additionally, the resource server may query whether a new call to a customer would exceed the maximum number of ports available to the customer. Accordingly, the customer profile may influence handling of the call, e.g., whether it may be answered or forwarded to an appropriate destination.
Additionally, the resource server 104 may use the customer profile to determine whether to direct the call from a given user 110 to a local authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) server of the Internet or other network application. Further, it may assist direction of the call to a tunnel that may have been pre-established, e.g., as part of a wholesale virtual private dial-up network (VPDN) service.
The resource server 104 may, thus, manage the use of available network resources across multiple Network Access Servers (NASes) 106, and may implement various resource allocation schemes. The server may allow a combination of NAS resource groups with call types (e.g., speech, digital, V.110, and V.120) and might also enable optional resource modem services into resource data assignments.
Resource groups may be configured on a NAS 106 and assigned by the resource server 104 in accordance with its identified customer profiles. For example, the groups of resources may represent groupings of similar hardware and/or services that may remain fixed on a per-call basis. Such resource groups may be identified by physical location, e.g., such as a range of port/slot numbers 108 (for example, port-based modems or terminal adapters). Alternatively, the resource groups may be associated by a single parameter (for example, HDLC framer or V.120 terminal adapter).
In general, resource server 104 and network access servers 106 communicate with one another using a common protocol, e.g., a Resource Manager Protocol (RMP). Using the common protocol, the access devices (e.g. such as a Network Access Server or NAS) may, as clients 106, communicate resource management requests to the resource server 104. Additionally, the protocol may allow the resource server to periodically query the client access devices and update its information regarding active calls of the access devices for association with customer profiles being maintained within the resource server.
Conventional management tools and conventional network devices may have difficulty determining erroneous conditions that may lead to a failed resource server and, additionally, may have difficulty in being sufficiently responsive to enable replacement of the primary resource server 104 with a back-up resource server 106 in a manner that may enable sustained servicing of calls to the network.